Derek Meets His Match
by Drake Or Derek
Summary: [LWD D&J crossover] Drake and Derek both have two things in common. Their love of girls, and...well, good looks. When Drake's family moves to Canada to Derek's neighborhood, will Derek feel threatened?
1. Moving & Neighbors

**Derek Finally Meets His Match

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Summary:

LWD/ D&J crossover

Drake and Derek both have two things in common. Their love of girls, and...well, good looks. When Drake's family moves to Canada to Derek's neighborhood, will Derek feel threatened?

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**Monday: August 20, 2006 - around 10 AM: San Diego**

**With the Parker/Nichols Family

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**DRAKE POV:**

"Draaaaaaaaaaaaaaake!"

Ugh. Moving. You wanna know what sucks about it? Well, actually, the whole idea just sucks, but, still! I cannot believe that _Mom _got a transfer from her job! And, in Canada, too! I mean, seriously. Why not in the U.S.? Now, I'm not saying Canada isn't a good place, but, I myself, being Drake Parker from San Diego, California of the U.S., prefer the United States. Now..did that make sense? I hope it did...

Dad keeps on telling us that it would be fun to move, you know, like, meet new people, try new things, and, live in a whole 'nother country for example! He has NO idea how hard its gonna be for me! I mean, really! Making me leave all the hot girls in this state without having a little of 'THE' Drake Parker. Josh says I'm doing the girls a favor. Oh, well, Josh is _way _wrong. Just you see; in a matter of days without the Drake, those girls are gonna be begging their parents to let them move to Canada, too. Just you wait.

Another thing I'm gonna miss, a little more than the girls, too, is my band! I'm gonna miss those gigs that we used to go to where all the girls would just be all over _me._ Let's see what surprises Ontario, Canada has in store for me. Oh, wait, I mean...us! The whole family...yeah, not just _me. _Although, I _do_ think that I'm the most important part of this family...Oh well!

All Josh has to mourn over is the loss of his girlfriend...Mindy. Oh, don't worry, people! She's not _dead_, sheesh. I just meant that they had agreed to "break-up" since Josh was going to a whole other country. It was Mindy's idea, so you know it's pretty stupid. So does Josh, but, I won't go into the details.

Anyways, here I am, in the middle of my empty, but, large room. I never realized how kind of big this room was. Heh. I remember when Josh had to move in. I was so mad at my mom. He was wearing that freakish dress, too, so, you can just imagine what my first impression of him was: _freak._ But, other than that, he ended up being the best step-brother I could ever ask for. He stood by me every minute whenever I had some sort of problem. Things turned out great! Yeah, right...

Bleh. Now, I guess I'm gonna have to tell you about Megan, right? Well, let me explain something to you about her: _she's a demon!_ And, no I'm not exaggerating.

Well, anyways, back to the story, right! Alright, well, here I am, standing in the middle of my empty room. Memories came flooding back to me, so, I tried to push them aside as I walked to the door and out the front door to Dad's new SUV. Again, he wouldn't buy a truck. Evil.

As we were driving down the road to the airport, Mom and Dad just kept on talking to us about the new house and how we were all going to have to settle quickly so we can get moved in by Wednesday. Right now, its Monday and Dad says we're gonna get to the house by about Tuesday afternoon, so, we were going to have to get moved in quick. He says that the movers have already made it to the house and they were probably, by now, putting our beds in our rooms, so, you can guess that we don't really have much of a choice now about choosing our own rooms, huh? I figured.

Since Mom and Dad went to the house to check it out, I bet they chose our rooms for us. I hope I got the biggest room. Knowing Mom, I would probably have to share the bathroom with Josh and of course, Megan would have her own.

I remember Mom telling us that right next door to us is some family named Davis'. I dunno, I really don't remember what she said. Though, what I _do _remember is that right next door lived a girl named Emily that just happens to be me and Josh's age! Oh, I know what you're thinking. You're thinking that I'm gonna hit on her as soon as I see her, right? Well, you are wrong! First, I gotta see if she's hot or not. _Then_, I'll hit on her.

Then, Mom explained something about 2 doors down about some family called..ummm..wait, I remember this. Ok, right. The MacDonald/Venturi family. Thats a long name to me. Well, seeing as my mom is referred to as Mrs. Parker-Nichols, sure, I know about long names.

Mom and Dad say that they've met said "MacDonald/Venturi" family, and they said that they were nice people. Large family, though. The most I remember Mom saying about them was that they had a son and a daughter...my age...again! What a score, huh? No, I'm not talking about the dude thats my age, I mean the girl! Living just doors down from 2..possibly hot girls that I can make-out with. Well, I know I'm not supposed to be thinking that way, but, Emily Davis and...what's her name? Oh yeah: Casey MacDonald. Ok, where was I? Right. Emily Davis and Casey MacDonald, get ready for Drake Parker.

"Josh, quit poking me!"

"Drake, Drake! Get up! We're here!"

I can hear excitement in 'young', naive Josh's voice when he said that... well, who could blame him? I'm pretty excited, too! Well, more "pretty" than "excited", but, you get the idea! I guess you didn't get that joke, so, I'll move on and not risk explaining it!

As I got out and stretched my legs, I looked around. This neighborhood didn't look too bad. It actually looked pretty cool to me. The school is pretty close to where we live now, so, I guess I could walk there whenever I would miss the bus, right? Nah! Of course I wouldn't ride the bus when I have my car back with me! Mom and Dad promised Josh and me that we could pick out a new car since their new job pays a lot. Don't ask me what his job is, because, well, I really don't know!

Anyways, the house looks really awesome. It's a two-story house with 5 bedrooms. Do you know what that means? I don't have to share a bedroom with Josh! Whoo! Well, you already knew that, but, I like the idea myself.

I went in and ran upstairs to look for my bedroom. Aha! I found it! Whoa. This is a pretty good size for me to live in! Lets see, I guess I can put the mini-fridge there in the corner...

"Drake! Josh!"

Mom started calling for us, interrupting me and my thoughts of where I should put the drum set. Hmm. Lets see what they want now. Its like, 10 AM right now, and I bet they're calling for lunch. I was right! Josh made peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. How original of him. Oh well, I'm pretty hungry and not in the mood to judge!

After lunch, we started working on moving our stuff inside. Each of us had another job to settle on. Josh and Megan would be in living like, just right next to my room. I have to be careful with this box I'm holding! It holds very valuable items! My CDs, duh! Well, that and most of my music books.

After about 4 or 5 hours of trying to move my stuff in my room, I was finally, finally done! It wasn't that hard, really, since I didn't have that much stuff. Oh, and did I mention that I now finally have my own computer? Well, yeah, I do!

Anyways, at around 3 PM I was done with all my stuff and so were Josh and Megan. Mom and Dad were still finishing up their room, so, it was up to Josh and I to "organize" the living room while Megan took time to fill up the fridge.

We were done at around 6, and that was when Mom was starting dinner. Josh and Megan were playing video games, (with Megan surprisingly winning against the all-powerful Josh), and, Dad was finishing up some last minute checklist to make sure we had everything. I was just sitting around, eating Cheese Puffs (I keep a pack with me at ALL times...), while watching Josh get his butt beat by my own evil little sister. Aw, the irony. Just as Megan was about to kill Josh's character in the game, the doorbell suddenly started ringing.

"Can somebody get that?" — Mom.

"Nope, sorry mom, too busy beating Josh!" — Megan.

"Nuh-uh...no! You just killed my dude, Megan!" — Josh.

"Sorry honey! Still checking!" — Dad.

Which left...

"Drake!" Mom started yelling at me to get the door after it rang twice more.

"crunch" –– Yep, that was me.

"Drake! Go get it!"

"Huh? Uh, sure mom... Ok, ok! I'm coming! Stop ringing!" I just added that last part after they rang about 5 times more. Evil people! Can't they see I was eating?

I swung the door open to find three teenagers. All of them seemed to be my age..and..might I add: hot. Well, except the guy standing with them. Dude, don't even go there.

The two hot looking girls started to immediately giggle at my appearance. And, well, I couldn't blame them actually! The guy just stood there with this glare, which, I might add, seemed to be pointed directly at me as soon as he heard the girls giggle.

Oh, great. He seems awfully nice.

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**A/N:**

Hey guys. This is my first LWD fic and I hope it wasn't too bad. I dunno if anyone came up with a Drake and Josh crossover with LWD, but, here's mine! Hope you guys liked it, and, please review! I have chapter 2 planned out already and if I get enough reviews to tell me this isn't such a bad idea for a fic, then, I'll continue...

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**Please review!**

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	2. Introductions & Invitations

**Derek Meets His Match

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**Summary:**

**LWD/ D&J crossover Drake and Derek both have two thing in common. Their love of girls, and...well, good looks. When Drake's family moves to Canada to Derek's neighborhood, will Derek feel threatened?

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**Tuesday: August 22, 2006 - around 6:00 PM : Ontario, Canada

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**DEREK POV:**

"But, Dad, do I _really_ have to go?"

"Yes, Derek. Take Casey with you, too, if she's up for it."

"Up for what?"

Oh great. She now comes in. Perfect! Now, she can save me from meeting the new neighbors that just moved in a couple of hours ago. I think that Nora told me that their names were the...uhh..Parker-Nichols family. Long name! Then again... I guess I'm pretty lucky to not be called "Derek Venturi-MacDonald," huh?

Well, anyways, here's what Nora told me their names were: Drake Parker and Josh Nichols (both my age from what my dad told me), Megan Parker, who from what I heard was about Lizzie and Edwin's age: 10. She's probably gonna have to go to the 5th grade with Lizzie and Edwin. Too bad there was no one near Marti's age. She'll be disappointed.

Anyways, back to the Casey coming into the kitchen part:

"Well, Casey, Derek and I were just talking about the new neighbors. You know, the ones that just came here with the movers a couple of hours ago?"

"Oh, yeah! They had a lot of stuff...I swear I even saw a drum set in there somewhere.."

A drum set? Oh great. A band geek. Oh well, I guess I won't be hanging with that guy and showing him tips on becoming popular. Of course, I have to meet the dudes first. See if they're both "cool" enough. I can't just walk around school with dorks. And right now, they both sound like dorks to me.

"A drum set? Are you kidding me?"

"Yes, Derek. A drum set." Casey started talking to me really slowly as though she was talking to a two-year-old. She then started imitating a drummer, and, man, was she horrible at it!

"Ya know, Case, yeah, um, don't ever try the drums, ok? Your horrible sound would kill people!"

Then, Casey glared at me. Typical. All the more reason I like her. Yeah, I admit it! I like Casey MacDonald. Maybe not just, 'like' her, like a crush, but, like, 'like like' her. And, yeah, that does make sense.

Well, anyways, after arguing over whose going over to the neighbors to give them the whole "Welcome to the Neighborhood" speech thing, Casey, Emily, and I ended up going. Don't ask why Emily had to go. Casey just brought her into the subject and Emily 'wormed' her way to our little trip to the neighbors'.

Casey and Emily started talking right away after we had left the house. I decided to eavesdrop. I mean, seriously...what's a guy to do when he's forced to talk to practically strangers? Well, it was about a minute by the time we got to their doorstep, but, here's what I overheard:

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"Emily, guess what? I heard from my mom that Drake and Josh might actually be nice..and cute!" 

"Uh, wait, how would she know?"

"Well, she saw some pictures of them when their parents came over here to check out the house."

"And she thinks that they're look cute? Well, I dunno Casey, what your mom thinks is cute might not be cute to you...or me..."

"I know, but, still I'm keeping my hopes up!"

"What about Sam? Don't you still like him?"

"Uh, not anymore remember? He's just not my type..."

"Ok, ok, well, sorry...oh, look, the movers are gone! They must already be inside...hey, thats a nice SUV!"

"Huh, you're right! ...Derek! Stop looking over my shoulder!"

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Yeah, thats about all I heard. Right when she busted me, we were almost to their front porch. Right when we got there, I heard video games playing. Casey reached out to ring their doorbell. 

Once. No answer. Just yells from inside the house...:

"Can somebody get that?"

"Nope, sorry mom, too busy beating Josh!"

"Nuh-uh...no! You just killed my dude, Megan!"

"Sorry honey! Still checking!"

I had to laugh about that whole, "You just killed my dude, Megan" thing! That was funny. The voice belonged to a guy, so, I figured that either Drake or Josh was getting beat up by their little sister in video games. Funny.

I was entertaining myself further by ringing their doorbell at least 5 more times. Suddenly, we heard a voice say "Stop ringing!" and Casey immediately pushed my arm down from the doorbell and glared at me before the door swung open to reveal either Drake or Josh.

Hmm.. The dude wasn't that nerdy looking actually. I expected more of a dork or a dude that wears black and earrings. Well, he had like, dark brown hair that fell over his forehead...dark brown eyes..and, well, I dunno, ask a girl, would ya? They would probably be saying,'Oh, you're so hot!', oh please. He's _nothing_ compared to me. Hmm..he doesn't exactly fit into my drummer status..he just looks...well, normal. But, I'll be the judge of that!

The all too familiar giggle of my stepsister suddenly filled the air. Ok, so, I'm exaggerating a bit here, but, she and Emily just started to giggle and the guy actually looked pleased with himself as they continued to lock eyes with him and giggle. Well, actually, their giggle sounded more like an either embarrassed laugh, or... nervous chuckle. To me, it didn't matter, because I think either way, he was going to hit on Casey. I could just feel it. That is, until he looked over at me. I glared at him right when he looked over. I just gave him one of my meanest and deadliest glares that plainly said, "Back off."

The dude just stood there...seriously. Can he be any more annoying? He just stands there for another 5 seconds waiting for either Emily or Casey to speak while he flashes a smile.

**_One._**

**_Two.._**

**_Three..._**

**_Four..._**

**_Five..._**

Thats it. I'm speaking _for _them!

"Hey man. How's it goin'?" I tried to get rid of the glare that formed in my eyes, and, after a few twitches and the dude staring at me like I was crazy, I finally got the whole 'innocent' look back in my face...

"Hey. Its going great, you? Oh, Drake Parker, by the way."

"Great. I'm Derek. Derek Venturi. 2 doors down. Welcome to the neighborhood."

After that, I flashed him my all-knowing Derek Venturi smirk. All Drake did in response was raise one of his eyebrows in a teasing manner, obviously not impressed with my smirk (I guess it only works on girls...huh, go figure.) and smiled himself.

Apparently, while he was smiling, it was directed mostly to Casey more than Emily or me. How dare he ignore 'THE' Derek Venturi!

"Hi. Um, Casey MacDonald. Derek's my stepbrother and we live just 2 doors down. Nice to meet you, Drake."

Oh great. _Now _Casey decides to talk, just when he smiles.

"Hey there. Emily Davis. Welcome to the neighborhood, Drake! You're gonna love it here. What grade are you in? What school are you going to?"

Obviously Emily was very excited about knowing the full details of Drake's life, and he seemed really nice to answer...oh great. Another sap. And here I was, thinking he was just another band geek.

"Hey Casey. Hi Emily. Great meeting you guys, too. Canada seems like a really nice place now that I met you guys. Nice to know we don't have psychotic neighbors like in San Diego!"

Ah, so, he lived in the States.California._Righteous, "dude"._

"Oh, and, I'm going to Howard Wilson High. I'll be a Junior there, I guess. I'm starting on Wednesday. Are you guys going to Wilson, too?"

Well, Drake seemed pretty smooth and comfortable with himself while he continued on. Oh great...I just hope they don't agree to that.

"Yeah! Wow, we're all in the same grade! This is awesome! You know, if you're interested...we'd love to show you around!" Emily was pretty darn happy about it when she said it, too. Oh yay, I just hope that they-----

"Oh, and, Derek would be happy to come with us!"

**WHAT!**

"WHAT!" There. I finally spoke up. And for a good reason, too! I don't wanna be escorting some weird lame-o to school! Its not good for my rep. He's not cool for my rep. Darn Casey for saying that! Yet, she's still pretty hot to me...

"Oh come on, Derek. Please? He's new and he needs all of our help."

Casey. The one person I couldn't say no to. At least not now because she's giving my her puppy-dog look. Her cute puppy-dog look. It drives me nuts!

"Ok! Ok...fine. But, you _so _owe me for this..." Putting an emphasis on "_so_," she nodded.

"Oh, um, actually Casey, my brother Josh also kinda needs to know the school. Josh! C'mere!" Drake called over to his brother. Oh great. More nerds!

"What, Drake? I was almost beating Megan up—"

I guess the poor guyshut up when he realized the odd looks Casey and Emily were giving him since he mentioned "beating up" his little sister. Ha! The looks on all their faces were funny! And priceless! I almost burst out laughing.

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_Casey: Shock._

_Emily: Disgust._

_Drake: Surprised._ _I guess he was surprised his brother would say such a thing..._

_Josh: Confused and...embarrassed! _

_Me: Well, I guess no one could tell, but, I was fighting myself not to laugh...

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_

"Uh, hi. Umm, no! Not like, 'beat her up' beat her up, but, as in...like..." he just trailed off...guess the poor guy didn't know what to say!

"He was playing a video game with our little sister and he was getting his butt kicked." Drake quickly saved for Josh.

Casey and Emily nodded in agreement, obviously relieved.

"Ok, well, hi Josh. I'm Casey MacDonald, this is Derek Venturi, my stepbrother-" she points to me, "-and this is Emily Davis and she lives right next to you guys."

Emily blushed and shook his hand. As did Casey, though, without the blushing. And...well, they were all eyeing me when I finally got it. He wanted me to shake hands with him. Ew. Derek does _not _shake hands...or even act polite! Ugh, fine. I shook the guys hand. Huh, firm grip...

"Anyways, Josh, interested in learning more about your new school?"

"Yeah! Absolutely! I actually like school, unlike Drake here. Are you all gonna show us around, Emily?"

"Ah, he doesn't know what he's talking about..." Drake started mumbling and of course, I was the only one who heard him because Casey's too busy looking into his eyes and Emily's too busy talking to Josh. Why don't they have another sibling? A girl? Well, one that's _my _age anyway...

"Yeah! You don't have to, but, it's pretty confusing at first, trust Casey here."

Casey nodded and, with that, Drake and Josh both smiled, nodded, and ignored me all the same. All of Drake's attention seem to be attracted mostly to Casey and Josh to Emily. And it looks like they were getting along well. Hmmmm..._too well..._

After about 10 minutes of them mostly talking to one another about how great it was to live here, yadda, yadda...and all that junk, their mom suddenly came out to us and told them that dinner was ready and of course, we all had to re-introduce ourselves.

"Oh, would you guys like to stay over for dinner? We're having spaghetti. And, don't worry, there's dessert, too... Simple, I know, but, we've only been here a couple of hours!"

Mmmm...spaghetti! I gotta love that stuff.. With the pasta and all...yum..

"Oh, that would be great! We'll be back, we just have to ask our parents first!"

Casey and Emily left after receiving a nod from Mrs. Parker-Nichols, a 'charming' smile from Drake, and a soft chuckle from Josh.

And, with that being said, I left, too. All I got from Drake was a nod explaining my existence apparently, and a small smile from Josh. Well, a nod from their mom, too, but, still. I wasn't worried about _her_ stealing Casey away. I was worried about Drake.

Whoa, wait. Back up!

Did I just say I was...worried? Ok, 'THE' Derek Venturi does _**not** _get worried! I just have to show him that Casey was mine. Thats all. And that's what I'm planning to do at dinner.

Giving Drake a quick 'Derek smirk', I ran off to my house to tell my dad and Nora about our new neighbors and, well, get Casey to ask for permission, and plot what I was gonna do to little 'Drakey' when we eat dinner. Oh, this is gonna be great.

And with a smile from my dad, and another one from Nora, I left with Casey to 'tell' little Drake about _my_ ways at _my _school. Of course, yes, I _am _going to brag. Lets see him top that.

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**A/N: **

Hey there guys! I hope you guys like this chapter. It was pretty long and, I have to admit, pretty 'dragging', and kinda boring, but, it has to be in there...anyways, the next chapter is practically..well, its going to be in Casey's POV and what happens at dinner with the neighbors..heh...

Yeah, and, I have no idea what the name of their high school is, so, I just made something up. If anyone knows what the real name is, please let me know!

Right, and, if the times are kinda confusing some, here's what it is: Drake and his family left San Diego at around 12 on MONDAY, and they got to Ontario, Canada on TUESDAY at around 8 AM. I have no idea how long it takes for flight, so, I'm just guessing, sorry! When Drake started to wake up, he was already in their family's SUV _after_ their plane ride. And, Drake and Josh start school on Wednesday and right now, in this chapter, its TUESDAY at around 6:30 PM. Sorry if it's a little confusing...

Oh, and, sorry if the characters are a little bit out of character in this story. There will be times when they are OOC, but, hopefullymost of the time they are...Oh, and I dunno if I want to make this a 'Dasey' story or a..'Drasey' story...LoL, thanks to 'VBallRox18' for the name for "Drake and Casey"...!

By the way, **thanks so much for the reviews! **They were all awesome! Thanks, you guys! Its really encouraging!

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**Again, PLEASE REVIEW!

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	3. Dinner With The Neighbors

**A/N: **Alright, well, I know I usually put these things in the end, but, I just have to say that there have been some changes to this chapter. Well, first of all, like **'CEE18' **kinda pointed out, it might be best if I just kept the story between Drake and Derek seeing as they are the main characters here, so, this chapter is in Drake's POV. It's still about what happened at the dinner, but, in Drake's POV. Oh, and I'm sorry for the kinda late update, I know that I said that I would have probably updated it 2 days ago, but, I suddenly got busy, so, I'm sorry if some of you were expecting an update 2 days ago! Anyways, here's the story:

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**Derek Meets His Match

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**CHAPTER 3: **

**Dinner With The Neighbors

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**_Tuesday: August 22, 2006 - around 6:45 PM

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**Drake's POV**:

So.

His name is Derek.

Ugh, the guy freaks me out already. What was up with that 'weird smile thingy' that he was giving me? That was freaky. Though, I cannot believe that he and Casey, who, might I say is, amazingly cute, are related! Well, not blood-related, but, still... Casey looks really amazing though. The first time I saw her (which was like, 30 minutes ago) the first word through my head: cute.

Well, Emily herself wasn't all that bad, but, I'm guessing Josh likes her because of the way he looks at her. That was the way he looked at Mindy, and, well, as much as it sickened me to have her as my brother's girlfriend, if 'it' made him happy, then, I'm happy. Anyways, back to Casey.

After Josh oh-so-nicely mentioned my "love" for school, Casey and I just kinda stood there, staring at each other. Let me just tell you, she has a great body. And, she's not all that much like the other girls I've dated, and, let me tell you, I've dated a lot of girls, so, I should know. Anyways, when I say she has a great body, I mean what I said, and, don't get any wrong ideas, here!

Once my mom called us for dinner, I was half glad and half...disappointed. To tell you the truth, I just wanted to just sit down and just talk to Casey. To get to know her better and stuff. She doesn't seem like the type of girl to just throw herself at anyone. I mean, if she was, she would've been probably all over her step-brother and since they're not related, it wouldn't be incest. Besides, I really wouldn't care, just about the fact that she's not mine.

Well, after my mom asked them to join us for dinner, I was really glad, lemme just tell ya. Well, half glad and half sad, again. I was really glad that Casey was going to be able to spend some more time with us, well, me, but, hey, I gotta include family..._ unfortunately..._

Hmmm, where was I? Oh right. After Casey, Emily, and.._ Derek _left, Josh grinned at me saying, "So...?"

"So...what?

"Oh, c'mon Drake, Casey's practically your type! When are you going to ask her out?"

"Josh! How could you think that way about me? Oh, and, probably after dinner..." With that and a smug grin, I went inside leaving Josh grinning after me.

"Hey mom! Thanks for inviting them over. They seem like nice people...very nice indeed.." Ok, so, I kinda mumbled the last part to myself, but, hey, if my mom heard that, she'd put a restraining order against me and Casey. Ok, maybe not, but, she'd give me, the infamous "Talk" again...trust me, you do _not _want to hear that more than once in one lifetime...!

"Not a problem Drake. Besides, you have to get to know them sooner or later, right? They are going to your school anyways and you might have yourself some new friends later after this dinner. Especially Derek! He seems nice. Maybe you two can even become friends or something."

"Uh, right."

"Josh! Help me set the table, would you? Just put the food on it and you teens can eat on the couch and talk while your Dad, Megan, and I will eat out. We're going to see the scenery a little bit here, look for places, alright?"

"Sure mom. Hey Drake! Can you put that box off of the middle of the floor, please? Someone can trip on this thing, it's huge. Oh, and, you wanna come help?"

_As much as I wanted to, and, you know I wanted to..._

"Heck no, Josh! Kinda busy here!"

"Busy? You're just staring at the T.V.!"

"Not staring! Watching. Totally different." As soon as I said that, the doorbell rang and I leapt up to get it. Ok, maybe practically pounced on the door, but, hey, I wanted dinner!

"Hey Casey..." My breath stopped short when I noticed that Derek's arm was hanging loosely on Casey's waist. Uh..are they dating?

"...and, Derek?"

I hadn't meant to end it with a question, it just came out that way. I mean, what would you do and feel if you thought someone was available the first minute, then, the next, you think she's already taken? I know. You would feel hurt and you would probably question it, right? Well, I know I did.

I eyed the two very confusingly. Derek's smug smirk (or so it seemed) and Casey's uncomfortable glance (while it seemed like she was trying to push him off without me noticing, didn't work, apparently..) told me that something was wrong with this...couple?

"Uh, you guys wanna come in? Dinner's on the table and you guys can just sit on the couch and eat."

Derek gave me another "weird smile thingy" and dragged both himself and Casey inside. I shut the door and the next thing I knew Casey's surprised (it seemed that way) shriek surrounded the air and there was a thud that had been heard. Ouch. Lets see what happened here.

As I turned around, I can hear Derek laughing his head off. I frowned as I looked at Casey's struggling attempt to push her self out of the box that she had seemed to have fallen head first at. I knewI should've put that box away!I ran to help her out, but, Derek blocked my view (and way) and...well, _tried _to help her out. If you can call what the heck he was doing _helping _her out, anyway. As Casey struggled to get out, her legs were flailing _everywhere. _Derek got hit in the arm!

Yeah, go Casey!

Heh, anyways, as soon as Casey's flailing leg hit Derek in surprise, he fell back and I rushed to help her. Luckily, she calmed down and I was able to get to her without getting hurt and I got her out. Her face was bright red either from embarrassment or the heat inside the box, I might never know, but, anyways, as soon as she had calmed down, she instantly hugged me quickly and mumbled a "Thanks" and as soon as she saw Derek she suddenly started yelling at him.

Something about how he was an incompetent jerk, idiot, and moron. So, I'm seriously guessing that they're not a couple! Cuz if they were, then, well, they're not now!

I'm guessing it was my turn to smile smugly at Derek, so, yeah, I did. He frowned then at my "smug smile" and gave me a smirk that told me, "Oh, its on."

After everyone had calmed down and Emily arrived (right after Derek and I had glared at each other), mom came out and told us that dinner was ready and she instantly brought out the food: spaghetti, some sort of seasoned bread (I dunno), a couple of buffalo wings (yum..), and well, water and Mocha Cola.

Everyone soon lined up for the food. Casey looked disgusted as Derek was first. Well, after a couple of (as it seemed) minutes waiting for Derek to fill up his plate, I soon grew irritated. Come to think of it, the moment I saw him with Casey I was irritated, but, now, I'm just annoyed. I mean, seriously. There wasn't that much food there!

Well, when he _finally _came out of the line, his plate was filled. _Way filled. _I mean, what's this guy's problem? Hasn't he eaten in the past few days?

I whispered this to Casey and she just laughed in response.

"Derek's always like this. Food is like, his lifeline, other than hockey anyways."

"Hockey?"

"Yeah, ask him about it later, I'd rather not hear him boast about it though. It's so annoying!"

"Oh."

Oh? That was all I could come up with? Well, then, I have to make myself sound at least bit more interesting if I want to catch Casey's attention, and...kill Derek's over confidence.

After having the little chat with Casey, we both realized it was her turn to get her food. We were the last so, as you can guess, there really wasn't much left. Of course, I was pretty sure that Derek had taken most of the majority. Ugh, the pig.

Anyways, while taking what was left of a seemingly perfect and nice dinner, (which, really wasn't much seeing as Derek had the majority of it on his plate, his mouth, and, (this made me chuckle a bit) on his face), Casey and I sat down next to each other on the side of the couch. Casey was in the middle between me and Derek. I bet she's comfortable. Oh yeah. Emily and Josh sat on the two armchairs on the side chatting away about who-knows-what.

Well, as soon as Casey and I sat down, she started a conversation. Well, I'm really not one to reject, so, of course I returned the favor.

"So, Drake, what did you do at your old high school?"

"Well, actually, I-" I was about to finish when Derek completely interrupted me...with his mouth full of the bread. Dude, that was gross.

"Yeah, _Drake, _tell us. Did you play any sports? Because, you know, if you did, maybe I can get in a good word for you into my _hockey coach,_" he seemed **really **proud when he said that, "and, seeing as _I'm the captain,_" again, **really** proud, "I can always put in a good word for anyone who plays well, and, well, good. So, did you?"

After that sudden, and, might I say, all so disgusting outburst, I shook my head while Casey was looking at Derek with a disgusted face that was also disbelieving at the same time. I, on the other hand, stayed calm. But, still! The ego this guy has. Sheesh.

"Uh, not really _Derek._ I'm not really that much into sports, though, I do play basketball every now and then. Music's more my thing, you know?"

Ha. Beat that, Derek.

"Oh, so, you play basketball? And, music? So, I'm guessing you'll be taking band this year?"

"Uh, no. I love my music, I just don't do school bands, thats all. I'm more of a hands-on kinda musician. I had my own band back in San Diego. We were kinda popular there."

Ok, 'popular' would have been an understatement since there, we weren't _just _popular, we were practically _famous!_ But, I didn't want that big of a head as Derek. I didn't want to brag...though I should, but, Josh did that for me.

"Oh, come on Drake, you're being too modest. Your band wasn't just popular. You guys were practically famous! And, me, being your band manager, I should know."

"Your band was famous?"

"You were their manager?"

The two last questions belonged to the girls. The first one was from Casey to me, and, the second one to Josh. Duh. From Emily.

"Uh, well, ok, yeah, pretty much. We were pretty famous. Even played for TRL Live once..maybe three times..but, hey, who's counting? And, yeah Josh here was our awesome manager. So, Derek, as you can plainly see, I'm not really much of a jock, I'm more of a musician."

After saying that, I smiled proudly. Ha. I'd like to see him beat **that.**

Apparently, Derek had been inside my thoughts, as he did come up with a comeback. A comeback with a given smirk to go along with.

"Well, alright...but, let me just tell you, most of the _chicks_ at school don't really care about musicians, especially if you play some sort of wimpy instrument. They care about, well, me. Well, seeing as I am the king of the school. Trust me, athletes beat musicians _any day._"

Oh, he's so wrong about that. And, when it comes to school girls, I'm never wrong or turned down. We'll see if he's king for long.

After Derek's comeback, I reached over the table to grab my drink and put down my plate. It really didn't take me long to finish since my food was about the size of a raisin. Ok, ok, fine, bigger, but, you get the idea. When I had gotten my drink, Casey's hand had landed on my thigh, which I was so not expecting, and, of course, had startled me, making my hand tip backwards towards Derek, sending the contents of my glass, (root beer), over to Derek's clothes...and, the majority of it on his leather jacket.

I gasped...ok, _then, _laughed hard while trying to gasp out a "sorry", Casey looked amused and then started laughing, Josh was repeatedly chanting a "Oh my God...!" and rushed into the kitchen to grab some towels, Emily was...sitting there staring at Derek as though he was some sort of alien (I wouldn't disagree..), and, Derek? Oh, he was raving mad, I can tell.

After Casey and I had calmed down, can't say too much for Derek, I said, "Hey, sorry, man. That was my bad. I'm sorry. I really didn't mean to spill my root beer at you..."

"Oh, you mean this? Don't worry about it, _Drake, _this jacket was just probably worth more than your life anyways, but, hey, who cares? Also probably worth more than your little instrument."

Oh. That did it. No one, I mean, **no one **insults my guitar. **No one. Especially not some over-confident jock. **I'll show him. But, for now, I gotta stay calm.

'Plot your revenge later Drake, plan it later...with Megan's help...'

I kept repeating that in my head over and over while smiling awkwardly at Derek and his stained leather jacket.

"Hey, man, your jacket's not 'hurt', alright? Its just a stain, just try to rub out the root beer and you'll be fine, by the way, how much did that cost you?"

"Rub out the stain? Are you kidding me? This is a $350 leather jacket we're talking about here. Are you seriously telling me to just rub out the stain!"

"Well, yeah, that's what I said, didn't I? Anyways, that jacket only cost you $350? That's nothing compared to the price of both my **guitars _and _drum set**, I'm pretty sure." I made sure to put extra emphasis on 'guitars and drum set.'

"Guitar? Drum set? I thought you were just some band geek, but, now, you're even just a dork!"

"Well, if having a Fender Strat that was worth $2,520, which I might add, is _already way more expensive _than your leather jacket and having a Pearl Forum Series Drum Set for $899 and, I won't even mention how much my acoustic guitar cost, which, in itself is already expensive, makes me a dork, then, yes Derek, I am a dork, but, you...you are more of a jerk, and, well, you'll probably never change. I'll probably move outta the 'dork' stage into the more 'rock star' stage, but, hey, at least I'm committed to something, right?"

After that, I smiled proudly and glanced at Casey. She was smiling, too. Actually, it seemed like she was chuckling a bit. Hopefully, not at me. Josh stood there, arms across his chest and smiling slightly with the towel in one hand. Emily stood next to Josh with her eyes wide and gawking, probably waiting for one of Derek's snappy comebacks.

Well, guess what? **He had none.**

The guy obviously was not prepared to hear such high numbers, and was not expecting it. I took this silence to say another thing:

"Ah, well, don't worry about it, man. I'm sure you're jacket's gonna be fine. And, if it's not, I have some extra cash from when I played at TRL and, I can give you the money for another one. So, don't worry about it, man."

See? I can be a nice guy. But, Derek? I dunno. He's still pretty unconditional to me. He practically dissed my status. That's not cool. Only I can do that. And, just to Josh, too.

Derek just stood there, mouth slightly open while I had my hand extended for either a handshake or a high five, anything to make sure I was on this guy's good list. Well, I really didn't want to, due to what he did to Casey earlier, but, hey, I'm the good guy here. I don't want a scene.

Well, he finally came to his senses and shook my hand while muttering, "Thanks, man. Oh, and, get your money ready, since I'll be needing it to buy another one. Not a word of my thanks to anyone, got it?"

Wow. Like a small 'thanks' would ruin his rep. Egomaniac alert here! And, personally? I didn't think there was anything wrong with his 'beloved jacket.'

Anyways, after the whole scene we kinda made in the middle of my new living room and after clearing out all the dishes, Casey pulled me aside to talk. I, of course being Drake Parker, didn't say no. Why would I?

It was _Casey. _

My soon-to-be girlfriend. I think she can even go better than Lisa, my last and only 'month-er'. I really think she can be one of those serious relationships that I won't blow because she might be stronger than I am. I really think so. She's..special, to say the least.

So, while Derek was sitting on the couch, listening, or at least, pretending to listen to Josh and Emily's conversation, Casey dragged me outside to...well, I don't know..

Yet.

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**A/N:**

Well, I have to admit, this chapter didn't go out as much as I had planned, but, I hope it was good! The instruments for Drake that I mentioned, well, I didn't really know that much about guitars seeing as I'm more of a saxophone player myself, I just kind of researched the web for ones that kinda looked nice. LOL, I dunno! Oh, and, sorry if Drake seemed a little OOC here! And, if it's a little long, please tell me and I'll make them shorter.

Sorry again for the 2-day delay, and, I hope to get Chapter 4 out soon. Its gonna be in Derek's POV and well, you'll see!

Thank you all** so** much for your encouraging reviews! They help me keep going with this story! **Thank you all!** **You guys ROCK! **

Oh, and, if you all have any other ideas on what should happen between the characters, please feel free to let me know!

I've kinda been neglecting to put this, so, I'll put it on now:

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**DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN LIFE WITH DEREK or DRAKE AND JOSH.

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LoL, I don't wanna get sued! I'm sure no one does either.

**Again, thank you all for your encouraging reviews!

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**As always, PLEASE REVIEW!

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	4. Romance? Or is it just me?

**Derek Meets His Match

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**CHAPTER 4:**

**Romance? Or is it just me?

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**_Tuesday: August 22, 2006 - around 7:45 PM _**

_**(After dinner)

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**Derek's POV:**

How. Dare. He!

Oh, I'm pretty sure you're all probably lost here, right? Well, here's what happened. And, I'll explain it all in two words: Drake Parker. Argh! The guy just made me look bad in front of Casey.

_Casey._

The only girl I can never have. And, to tell you the truth, I really don't know why. I mean, she and I aren't really related, so, why does it matter so much if I date her or whatever? Seriously! Though, I know how much her image means to her. Well, actually, same here, but, I'm already popular and an active idol to most, no, wait, _all _of the students in my school.

Well, except Casey, that is.

You see, she's the only one that proved a challenge. Well, her and Sandra, but, I eventually got her, right? The 'Derek Venturi Charm' works every time. Well, in Sandra's case, Marti helped, but, hey, I got her out and on the couch, didn't I?

Well?

Yes. Derek Venturi _always _gets what he wants. And right now, what Derek wants is Casey. Wow, talking in the third person is weird...

Uh, as I was saying, you can probably tell that my plan to completely demolish Drake's confidence on getting Casey was, well, it went pretty bad. When we left our house after Casey asked for permission (no, I didn't ask...I just kinda waited outside...) I quickly put my plan into action:

"So, Casey. What do you think of our new neighbors so far? Oh, and, while you're telling me, would you also mind enlightening me with the fact on **why **you volunteered me on escorting _Drake_ and_ Josh_ to our school!"

Ok, so, I hadn't meant to yell that last part out, but, hey, like I said before, I wasn't going to walk around with such dorks.

"Derek! You didn't need to yell. And, for your information, Drake and Josh seem like nice people! They sure aren't pigs like you."

Ouch! I am offended! What a way to treat her step-brother, don't you think? Oh, and, she continues..:

"Both Drake and Josh are nice enough to have us in their house for dinner and all you can do is say how much you don't want to return the favor and help them out? Well, I'm sorry Derek, but, thats just mean, don't you think?"

"Well, whoever said I wasn't?"

Tell me, did I have a good point right there? Because I really think that I had her there, and that I won the argument. Of course, not without my traditional smirk.

As I smirked, Casey instantly turned away, rolling her eyes.

"Wait, Casey."

"What, _Derek?_"

"Ok, then. Maybe I **will **help them out. But, first, what's in it for _me_?"

You didn't think I wouldn't ask that did you? Well, if you didn't, then, its like you don't know me at all!

"_De-rek!_"

"Aw, c'mon Case. You didn't actually think that I wouldn't ask that, right?"

"Well, I thought that for once you would have some sort of decency and help other people. Obviously not."

"Oh, its like you don't even know me if you think I'll just do this out of decency, really."

"Ugh, fine, Derek. You don't have to do it, happy? I'll just tour Drake around, and, I'll ask Emily to do the same to Josh. Happy now? You're not on the list anymore."

Wait. Only _Casey's _gonna be escorting Drake around? Oh, heck, I'm **so **not leaving those two alone together! You know what? I cannot believe I'm being so overprotective of my step-sister. Argh. Stupid emotions!

"Uh, wait, Casey. I change my mind. I'll go with you!"

"What? But, I thought that you didn't want to?"

Ok, I should just tell you. At that point, we were like, already on the front steps of Drake's front porch. Ok, ok, just thought you should know, that's all! Jeez...

"Well, Casey, I changed my mind, I'd be happy to help you help _Drake _around school...and maybe embarrass him if I'm lucky.."

"Wait, what?"

"Nothing, just saying that I'd love to help little 'Drakey' out."

"It's _Drake, _Derek. Not 'Drakey.' And, since when did you like helping people without anything for you?"

"You expected me to help you without pay before, didn't you? Why not now? C'mon. I've changed! Is that so hard to believe?"

"Yes."

That hurt! I'm standing right next to her, _trying _to _change my ways _and she doesn't believe me? Oh, and, you do? Aha, I didn't think so. See? You all know me! Apparently, Casey doesn't since she believed me and flashed me one of her amazing smiles. I barely ever receive that smile from her, so, I'm rejoicing!

"Awesome, so, c'mon. Gimme a hug!"

Heh, so, here's the scene: We're standing in front of Drake's door, which may open at any time, and Casey and I are _hugging _each other. That's right folks, she agreed! Well, after a weird look at me, but, still! I'm actually _hugging **Casey**._ I bet Drake couldn't even get this close to her. Ha.

"Ok, um, Derek?"

"Hm?"

"Can you, like, let go of me now!"

Ok,I wanted to hug her longer, so sue me!

"Uh-huh..."

After I let go, I let my arm drape around her shoulders for awhile as she rang the doorbell. She looked at me weirdly like she was saying, "What the heck are you doing, you freak?" Heh, you'll soon see, Case.

After we heard a _thud _from the door (in my opinion I think someone just attacked the door from the inside like they hated it..wow, violent much, Drake?). Where was I? Right. After we heard a _thud _from the door, I quickly moved my arm down to Casey's waist and just let it hang there, like I didn't care, but, I still held her. Casey jumped a little and, (from what I could tell) was about to jump away and yell at me, but, she refrained from that second part since Drake had just opened the door.

"Hey Casey-" he took time to look at my arm (I smirked a little at that) "-and, Derek?"

Aw, he was questioning my arm around Casey. Hah, it seemed as though he was jealous there for awhile.

"Uh, you guys wanna come in? Dinner's on the table and you guys can just sit on the couch and eat."

He seemed a little unsure of himself, which is just the way I liked it. I flashed him another smirk, and, after Casey stopped squirming under my grasp, led both me and Casey inside. Drake stood by the door, (from what I can tell) thinking. Hmm...ha, he's _jealous!_ Yes!

Well, after I looked away from Drake's figure by the door, I realized there was a small, staircase step in front of me that I didn't see before, and, well, I kinda tripped on it. Luckily, I avoided tripping over and caught myself.

_Casey, _on the other hand, wasn't so lucky and, well, she kinda tripped on my leg (and the missed step!) and landed head-first into this huge box in the middle of the floor.

Oh God, that was hilarious!

Lucky for her (and everyone else) she was wearing pants, and not a skirt, so...yeah, you can probably imagine what her face would be like if she landed in there head first in a skirt right? Oh, man, that would've been awesome! But, this...this is just funny! Ha!

So, as she was screaming into the box and her legs kicking the poor air around her, I laughed. Oh, come on, like you wouldn't? That's right, I'm talking to you!

While I was laughing, from the corner of my eye, I saw Drake look at Casey, well, Casey's flailing legs in disbelief. Heh, I guess he didn't think that _anyone _would be that careless to just drop head first into a box. As he lunged forward to help Casey, I suddenly blocked him and well...uh, tried to help her out. _Tried! _Never said anything about succeeding on 'helping her out.'

You know what?

Casey is so ungrateful. I try to help her, and she hits me on the arm!

Ugh..

Then, all of a sudden, Drake, "The Hero" goes to Casey right when she calms down and gets her out! Oh, sure, let _him_ help but not _me..._

"Derek! You stupid incompetent jerk! I cannot believe that you'd be such an idiot to let me fall in there and a moron to not get me out! Arrrgh!"

You know, in the end, she kinda sounds like a pirate–– what am I saying! Ok, back to the story:

Well, anyways, after that oh-so-scrumptious dinner that Drake's mom had made for us, (it really _was _good, though, seeing as I got most of it, heh), I had taken off my now stained precious leather jacket.

My jacket.

Oh man. This was the most prized possession that I owned! This was the one that was worth more than anything else of mine. Dad had gotten this for me for my 16th birthday (which was about a couple of months ago) and I had loved it since then. I cannot believe that he would just do and say that!

So what if his little instruments are worth more? I bet he doesn't even play his guitars all that much, and that he barely uses his drum set. Man, if Casey wasn't there, I would've completely thrashed the dude. Oh well. There are other times...

Anyways, well, here I am, sitting down on Drake's couch while Emily and Josh were talking about, wait, what the heck_ are_ they talking about? Well, I can't really say that I was listening, due to the fact that I really wasn't, since, that would be lying. Ah, well, what the heck.

As I looked over to my side, to where Casey and Drake were supposed to be, I came upon...well, nothing.

No Casey.

No Drake.

Just plain air. Yay. Like I can really talk to _air._

All of a sudden, I heard something open. A door, maybe? Hey, maybe the new couple are eloping! Oh, yay.

But, sadly, its not. It was just Drake running back inside (with no Casey) and going upstairs, (I heard a few things crash) and running back down, acousticguitar in hand.

So.

That's what his precious guitar looked like. Didn't look all that amazing to me. Of course, what do I know about guitars? The only guitars I play are 'air guitars' when I listen to my music and sometimes, _sometimes, _(remember that 'sometimes' word!) pretend that I'm playing a guitar...**Sometimes, ok! **Oh, like you don' t do it!

Ahem.

Anyways, while Drake was running in and out, Josh and Emily seemed to be oblivious to everything around them since they haven't moved away from staring and talking to each other since Emily got here. Oh, why don't you just kiss her already, Josh? Everyone already knows!

Uh, well, as soon as I grew bored, (which wasn't very long considering I was doing _nothing!_) I decided to get out of the couch and go after where Drake went: outside.

With Casey.

Alone.

Get the drift here?

Oh, shoot! Who knows what they could be doing out there! At this point, I'm practically jogging to their door that lead outside. What do you call these things? Oh, never mind!

Who knows! They..they could be, making out...or...or.. _talking!_

What kind of sick joke is that! And here I was, all.. I shudder at the thought of this, worried about Casey! Humph.

Well, me of course, being Derek, wanted to see what they were talking about (can't be even more boring than Emily and Josh's conversation, I'm sure). So, I quietly opened the door, hoping that it didn't creak or anything and stepped out. Lucky for me, they were facing the other way so they couldn't see me. I hid behind some bushes and sat down next to Drake's guitar. Huh, so, he just went in to grab it and put it down here. Wait a second! What if..nah, he's not gonna play it! He can't play it! Can he? Anyways, their voices were swift and clear from here. Score!

The first voice I heard was Casey's:

"...Drake, I'm really glad I met you. I mean, you're not like Derek at all. You're nice, sweet, funny, and talented."

"And, Derek's not?"

Yeah! And, Derek's not? **Hey**! I'm talented! And funny! And, well...when I want to be: nice!

"Well, Derek is..well, he's complicated. Sometimes, he can be a total jerk like he was in the beginning, making me trip into the box, and others, he can be nice. Like the time I was called the school's 'Grade Grubber'—"

"'Grade Grubber?'"

"-Uh, yeah, 'Grade Grubber.' You know...the student that asks for each and every point in a test even though you've already done well enough?"

"Oh, yeah...that must've sucked."

"Well, to tell you the truth, it did. But, luckily for me, after I got Derek and I received an 'A' on this really important project, he helped me get that 'Grubby' name off me."

"How'd he do _that?_"

Oh, puh-lease. He says it like he doesn't believe I can actually be nice.

"Well, remember when he said he was all popular and stuff?"

"Yeah..."

"Well, since Derek practically controls what happens to most of the school population, he just told people that I wasn't a 'Grade Grubber.'"

"Whoa. Just like that?"

"Yeah. Derek's nice like that. But, that was the only time, well, from what I could remember, that he was ever nice to me."

"Oh."

Aw, c'mon, Casey! I've been nice to you plenty of times! Like when I let you date Sam...and, that time..with the place..and the people..Oh, who am I kidding! I haven't been all that nice to Casey ever since she came to our house. And why should I?

"Were you popular at your school, Drake? I'm just kind of curious."

"Well..to tell you the truth, not that much. I was just considered cool, that's all. I mean, sure, I'm no _hockey captain_, but, I was still just considered cool since I played guitar and was in one of the most popular bands in all of California. Sure, I had friends, but, they didn't worship the ground I walked on, if that's what you meant by popular."

"Well, yeah, that was kinda what I meant, since that is what Derek is considered at school. Everyone practically does worship the ground he walks on...its kind of annoying. If only they knew his true side..."

"Which is..?"

"Annoying and stupid."

I turn around to look at Casey...well, the back of her head...but, still! Does she really think that wayabout me?So, in her life, I'm just'Derek, the annoying and stupid brother?'

"Annoying and stupid?"

"Yes...at times!"

Well, that answers my question...

"You know, its really comforting to have someone that just listens. Thanks, Drake."

"No problem, Casey."

"So, was your band really famous back in San Diego?"

"Was? What do you mean, was? Heh, it still is! Even without me, I'm sure they'll do fine."

"Hey, Drake?"

"Yeah?"

"Can you play me some sort of song with your guitar?"

"Uh, sure! Not a problem! Just let me grab it."

Oh, crap. This officially sucks. Oh no..I probably should get outta here! Yeah...probably! Hey, is that a chair creaking?

Oh crap, crap, crap!

Ok, wait! There!

I spot this beat up lawnmower (one of those car things...dunno..) and quickly duck behind it.

Whew... Thank God I was wearing a black shirt!

When I finally turned my head back up, all I saw was the bush, some grass, and...a spider on the lawnmower. Spider? Ugh, gross.

After jumping away from the spider (Ugh, hate them!), I heard some music playing.

Darn it. Drake really _can _play. And, pretty good, too. He was playing this slow, mellow tune that just sounded really...well, must I say it? Well, I think you get the idea!

To tell you the truth though, Drake's song is actually pretty good. Wait! What! Back up! He's the enemy! I cannot think that way about the enemy! Or his songs!

Oh, great. Just great. Now, he's singing. Oh, why doesn't the whole world just start singing with him, then?

Great.

I was joking!

I think that as soon as I thought that, Casey's mind heard it and started making Casey sing. I guess she got used to the words and decided to just sing with Drake.

Most of what I heard them singing were these words:

"And all I can say is you save me, changed all the things that have made me, entertaining, thoughts are raining, down we fall, it's all ok, when I say, you and I, take your time, I can't wait, to see you fly. "

Yeah. Those were the words I heard most often in his song. I do have to admit though, they did sound pretty good. Casey's voice added a nice tint to it. It was amazing.

Not _Drake. _

Just _Casey. _

Man. Those words..kinda..made me think...(does that surprise you?), mostly about how I've treated Casey. I mean, she's kinda changed me. When she came, I've dated less and less. I mean, sure I still had dates and make-out sessions, but, still.

No spark.

No chemistry.

But, I'm wondering this: if and, uh, _when _I kiss _Casey, _would there be a spark there? Would there be...chemistry?

No, not the subject. Ugh, that completely ruined that 'thinking moment' I was having in my head!

Bleh. Oh, wait, they're talking again!

"Wow, Drake! That was awesome! It was...amazing. Really!"

"Heh, thanks, Case. You weren't so bad yourself! I can't believe you got the words down just like that!"

"Well, I'm very...advanced, per say."

Then, all I heard was...laughing. Then:

"You know, Drake, its really awesome to have another person to just listen to me and not obsess over Derek. You're...not...obsessing..over..Derek, are you?"

"What! Ha, no...heck no!"

"Hah, sorry, it..would just have been weird."

"Ya think?"

Great. More laughing. And, hey! What's wrong on having people obsess over me!

"Like I was saying! Its really nice to just have another person to just, you know, talk to. And, I know we've only known each other for an hour or so, but, you're a really awesome guy. I can tell. I'm usually not wrong about these things! Like, when I predicted Derek would have been a jerk. And, guess what? I was right!"

"Huh, thanks, Casey. Its really nice to talk to you, too. Usually I talk to Josh, but, he usually thinks about his girlfriend, Mindy, well, ex-girlfriend, but, still.."

"Yeah, I know. I usually talk to Emily, too, but, she's almost always thinking about _Derek_."

And she says my name as though she's disgusted or something. What's _that_ about?

"Thanks, Drake."

"No problem, Case."

Oh my God. They're about to kiss! Oh...crap. I gotta, have to...break this up...why am I being so jealous?

"Casey! Drake! Derek! Mom, Dad, and Megan are back!"

Luckily, I didn't have to! Yeah! Thank you, Josh!

I heard them groan. Oh, right, blame the parents for breaking their soon-to-be-kiss..they shouldn't even be kissing! They just met! That's not Casey!

"Derek?"

"Wait, did Josh just ask for Derek, too?"

Oh shoot. I gotta get outta here and into the house. But, they had to be distracted first.

"Oh, wait up, Casey. I gotta get my guitar inside and its on the bench."

"I'll go back there with you!"

Oh, come on! The bench wasn't that far away from the door! Well, I guess I did get pretty lucky seeing as I am now inside and in sight of Emily, Josh, and his parents and little sister, and not under suspicion of Drake and Casey. Ah, life is good.

Well, after Casey and Drake got back in, Casey immediately said her thanks and yadda yadda...she was a great cook, something, something, and then, we suddenly had to say our goodbyes.

Emily and Josh shook hands and said their goodbyes.

Josh and I shook hands...again...ugh.

Casey and Drake's parents shook hands and smiled.

Casey and Drake looked at each other, hugged, and said some stuff that I couldn't hear.

**THEN**, we left. Finally!

* * *

Well, as usual, ( I was bored, ok?) Ilistened toCasey and Emily's conversation on the way back and this is what I heard from their porch to Emily's porch:

* * *

"Oh my God, Em. Drake is really amazing. My mom...was..right! About a guy!"

"I know! Josh is really interesting, too! It seems that he's this really smart guy! I asked him to help me with my French! Oh, don't giveme that look, Case! French, the _language!_And, guess what he said?"

"...Yes?"

"Duh!"

"Nice! Oh, well, here's your porch, Em. I'll see you tomorrow, ok? Remember, we're showing Drake and Josh around at...lets see..school starts at 7:45 AM, so, we should get to school at around 7:15 to 7:30 if we want to be able to show them where their classes are."

"Did you tell them this yet?"

"Yep! They're gonna meet us in my house at 7:15 tomorrow, so, be there!"

"Ok, bye Casey! Bye Derek!"

"Bye Em!"

After that...interesting...talk, we walked back and I left her alone. Oh, please, did you actually buy that? Of course not! I talked. Duh.

"So, what did Drake need his guitar for? I, uh, saw you guys come in with it."

"Well, if you must know, he played me a song. And he was really good! I can now understand why they were famous back in the States!"

"Ah."

And with that, we entered our house, ran to our rooms, and waited for the next day.

Oh, puh-lease! Heck no. Of course I didn't just let her leave without a fight...this is me we're talking about, remember?

"Oh, and, Casey?"

"Yeah, Derek?"

"Nice job tripping on that box...!"

"_De-rek!_"

"Yes...Klutzilla?"

* * *

**A/N: **

Hey guys! Well, here's my update! It's like, 12:11 AM! Whoo! LOL, anyways, this chapter (in my opinion) seems to be the longest so far. Well, it kinda is! Whoa, it took me a long time to figure out what to write! I know that the ending isn't really...ideal, but, hey, its late in the morning! Usually I stay up longer, but, I'm too hyper to wait until tomorrow to update this. Oh, and, I couldn't think of another chapter name...so, its stuck being called, "Romance? Or is it just me?" Weird name, I know...

Oh, and when Derek started talking about putting his plan into action, he was kinda talking about BEFORE dinner...sorry if it was a little confusing! I didn't spot it until I read the update myself...darn. Sorry if it was a little confusing!

Anyways, right, about Drake's song. I didn't really want to put the entire song in there, so, I only put in part of the song. The song is "Down We Fall" by...well, Drake Bell, duh.

Again, chapter 5 is going to be in Drake's POV...and, mostly about what's gonna happen on their first day...heh...gotta get to work on that! Must..stay...awake! Grab the sodas!

Well, here it comes:

* * *

**DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN LIFE WITH DEREK or DRAKE & JOSH.

* * *

**

Even though I've only written that on 2 chapters, I'm already getting tired of it!

LOL, please review!

* * *

**Thank you all for your reviews! You all rock! I know I said that last chapter, but, everytime I say it, I mean it! Yup Yup!

* * *

**

**PLEASE REVIEW!

* * *

**


	5. First Day

**Derek Meets His Match**

**-----------------------------------------------------------------------------**

**CHAPTER 5:**

**First Day...Yay...**

**-----------------------------------------------------------------------------**

**_Wednesday: August 23, 2006 - 6 AM : Parker-Nichols' Home_**

**-----------------------------------------------------------------------------**

**DRAKE POV:**

_Beep!_

_Beep!_

_Beep!_

"Uhhhmmm..."

Alarm clocks. I hate these things! Just when you're having sleep, it starts the **stupid **beeping! I swear...these things hate me!

"Josh...! Uhhmm...Josh! Wake up!"

After saying...(well, actually _yelling _so..), I reached over my night stand to grab the football there and randomly threw it across my new bedroom thinking that Josh and I were still sharing a room..obviously not since..

Oops.

After throwing the football into a totally random direction, it instantly made contact with my new flat-screen computer monitor (darn it!) and the monitor went crashing onto the wall behind it as the football rebounded and crashed into my wall. My new flat-screen monitor...completely broken. Oh crap!

I instantly got up and ran towards my new-now-broken monitor. Darn it! This was new, too! What am I supposed to tell Mom and Dad! That I threw a football at my new monitor?

**NO! **

They wouldn't believe me! Even **I **don't believe me now that I've said it out loud!

Wait. Why _did _I throw a football at my monitor? Oh right... I got so used to getting Josh up (when we still shared a room) by throwing a football randomly at him...huh..good times..good times..!

But, _this.._this was **so not **good!

No, duh!

I tried turning it on, but, when I pushed the little button on the side to turn it on, I only got a grey screen with a big gaping black oval in the middle. Darn.

Mom and Dad won't buy me another one, I'm pretty sure about that. Wait! Maybe if I just tell them what happened, maybe, just _maybe, _they'll believe me! I mean, they know how much I love my new computer!

My.

**My **computer.

Wow, that sounds good to say!

Again...maybe, just _maybe..._they'll believe me if I say the truth and get me another one!

**------------------------------------------------------------------------------**

"No, Drake. We are _not _getting you a new computer monitor!"

Oh, well, I tried, right? And the fact of the matter? I tried and I failed. That sucks. A lot.

"Oh, come _on, _Mom! It was _so not _my fault! Josh didn't even wake up!"

"What? How is this _my _fault?"

"Oh, stay outta this, Josh. This mess is half your fault!"

"And, how so?"

"Because!"

"Oh, that tells me _so _much, Drake. Great comeback."

"Oh shut up! You forgot to tell me that you moved out of _my _room!"

"Well, I thought you would notice seeing as, oh, I don't know, we moved to a whole 'nother country and no longer share a room!"

"Well...you snore!"

"..."

"Ha! Seems like the _great _'Joshy' has _nothing_ to say...hm, I guess this means I win, doesn't it?"

"No it doesn't, Drake! It was _your _fault you decided to act stupid this morning and not mine!"

"Oh, well, if only you knew...I could shove your little——"

"— **BOYS!"**

"Huh?"

"Oh, very intelligent, Drake."

"Shut up, Josh."

"You see! This is what I meant! You two are always arguing! Now, it isn't anyone's fault as to why Drake decided to go crazy this morning —"

"-Hey! I'm right here, you know!"

"— Oh, I know, Drake. As I was saying, its not anyone's fault as to why Drake decided to suddenly break his new computer monitor. So, you two. Apologize to each other now. Now, Drake!"

Hey there.

You're probably wondering what had happened, right? Well, I took my oh-so-intelligent advice from...myself and told my parents the truth about how my computer monitor broke...and, as you can probably tell, they didn't believe me and 'supposedly' I was doing it to get some attention. Wait. Was that supposed to be an insult?

Anyways, why, oh, why didn't I just go with the old reliable, 'my dog ate my homework' excuse, but...change it with 'my computer monitor' instead of 'my homework'?

Why oh, why didn't I use **that!**

Oh! Right. Duh! Of course I couldn't use that!

**Dogs are allergic to computer monitors! **

Sheesh! I_ cannot_ believe I missed that! They would've suspected _something _if I said _that!_ Oh, man. I'm glad I just told them the truth.

Wait. No I'm not! They _still _didn't believe me! Argh! Ah, well. Mom said that she wouldn't buy me another that I would have to buy it myself..so...yeah right. Did I mention that? Sorry! It was after Josh and I mumbled a 'Sorry, man.' to each other. Heh.

**----------------------------------------------------------------------------**

Anyways...well, here I am, at 7 AM in front of my mirror...lookin' _good!_ I must say, though. I _do _look _good..._!

I ended up wearing some pants that were torn at the knee, a black ACDC shirt, my black Converse, and...well, a belt that I could show off. Just for fun, ya know? Heh..

Anyways, at 7:10, Josh and I were just about ready for our first day at Howard Wilson High. HWHS.

As Josh would say: 'That is a weird acronym.'

And, yes, I _do _know what an acronym is! Uh, isn't that one of those poofy hair styles?

...No?

Well, I'll have Josh look it up in the dictionary for me later...

Anyways! At this point I was just about ready to go. _Just _about. You know what I was missing? Well...let me just give you a hint: it's about 6 foot 1, has dark hair that it tucks behind its ear...hmmm...and, loves school.

Yeah. You got that right: my step-brother: Josh Nichols.

We had both pretty much forgotten what had happened a few minutes ago, but, him making me late is _really _pushing it. Its about 7:15 now, and we were supposed to meet Casey, Emily, and..._Derek _at the MacDonald/Venturi house right about...now! Ugh! They're probably wondering where we were right now!

Sadly, we're supposed to take Derek's car to school since Mom and Dad won't buy me and Josh our car until Saturday. Yeah, that's right, we're supposed to ride with 'The Definition of Evil' until I get my car.

Anyways, hey, I got an idea! How about I space out here on the front step while waiting for Josh to tell you about..._Casey._

Ah, Casey. Wow. You wanna know something? She is so awesome! Last night with her was amazing. She is a really good singer, too. I mean, she got almost all the words to my song, 'Down We Fall' just like..._that!_ (I snapped my fingers there, by the way.) I really think she likes me... I mean, she told me I was awesome! Well, I might have to get to know her better, seeing as at that time I'd only known her for all of about two hours... and if I want to ask her to be my girlfriend...I'd have to meet her parents, too, right? Right!

Ugh. The only thing that's bad about having to meet her parents is the fact that _Derek _is probably going to be there. I mean, I don't really hate the guy, but he and I didn't exactly hit it off. It was like he planned the whole 'posing as a couple' with Casey..I dunno! But, if he tries to interfere one more time...I swear I'm gonna kick his stupid little—

"**Drake!**"

I opened my eyes to find Josh waving his hand frantically in front of me. Now, why does that _always _seem to happen? I _try _to say something..errr..._threatening_, but, someone **always **butts in before I can say it! Arrrrgh! (No, not trying to be a pirate here..)

"Yeah...?"

"Uh, isn't it about time we leave for Casey's house?"

"Uh, duh! I was waiting out here for you this whole time! You were taking a long time!"

"Uh...I was waiting for you _inside_..."

"Well, I was waiting for you _outside..._"

Its official:

We.

Are.

Idiots.

Live by it, learn from it, fear it.

"Ugh! Then, lets just go already!"

"Don't yell! It gives me headaches! Headaches!"

With that and Josh pointing to his abnormally-sized head, we walked towards Casey's house. It was now 7:18.

Perfect.

Apparently, our timing _was _perfect since Emily had just emerged from her house and joined us in our walk. She and Josh immediately started talking. Me, noticing I was probably labeled as the 'third wheel,' started to listen...since I had nothing _else _to do...here's their conversation!

**----------------------------------------------------------------------**

"Hey Josh!"

"Oh hey Emily! What's up?"

"Oh, nothing. Just wondering what your schedule said."

"Um..I kinda don't have it yet...I have to get it before school.."

"Oh! Right. Just wanted to know whether or not we had any classes together! It would be so much fun!"

"Yeah it would!"

"So, when are you gonna come over to help me with my French homework? I know it's just like, the third day of school, but, they're already assigning homework and — "

**-----------------------------------------------------------------**

Oh, sorry if you wanted to know what Emily said next, it's just that she kinda lost me at the words 'assigning homework.' How could they already be assigning homework? It's only the third day into the school year for crying out loud! Oh, hey, there's Casey!

Ah..she looks...amazing. As always! (Even though I've only seen her twice..). And, there was Derek, leaning against his car, waving his car keys up in the air as he impatiently (yeah, I noticed..it was pretty obvious..) waited for us to get in his car. Pfft..! Show-off.

"So...who's gonna have the honors of seating next to me today on the way to school?"

Uh, hello? It was only about a 10 minute drive to school! 20 minutes tops if I had walked! I guess he likes putting up his whole 'macho' facade.

"Um, how about you, Drake? Emily, Josh, and I sit in the back...and, Drake and Derek can sit up front with Derek driving!"

"Ugh.." — Derek

"Ugh.." — Me

So practically, we both felt the same way about seating next to each other in the car for 10 minutes. I don't blame him! I just hope he doesn't act like a jerk.

**---------------------------------------------------------------------------**

I guess I hoped for too much...seeing as Derek nearly ran over me after I had gotten out of the car. I know it was just a _joke, _but, I couldn't help being a bit surprised..

The ride wasn't much...he just stayed quiet...so did I... no one really talked all that much. Even Casey didn't talk to me. Did I do something wrong?

Right, anyways, about the whole 'Derek almost running over me' thing...well, we were trying to find parking in the back and there were not a lot of spaces, so, Derek insisted on us all getting out of the car and walking towards the office instead of waiting for him to park. Because the office was right in front of Derek's car, we all had to walk right in front of his car as he trailed from the back and, well, I got in front of the car first, waiting for Casey to follow. All of a sudden, the car jerked forward, almost touching my leg.

I yelled in surprise.

Casey shrieked loudly, as she was still trying to get out of the car when it jerked forward.

Emily and Josh both said, "What the—!"

"_De-rek!_ That was **so **not funny!"

While we were gasping out of pure surprise, Derek was chuckling a bit, so, Casey decided to yell him that phrase above.

"You're welcome for the ride, step-sis!"

"Ugh! Sorry about that, Drake. I know that might've surprised you."

"It's no problem. Now, where's the office?"

"Oh, here, I'll lead you to it. Emily and Josh are right behind us. By the way, what elective did you take?"

"Well...I kind of decided to take up both Music Theory and Art. Hah, I dunno if I'm good at art, though!"

"Oh, that's awesome! I took up art! Oh, this is great! I hope we got the same class!"

"Yeah...me, too. What elective did Derek take?"

"Well, the only one that most of his friends were in, of course. Drama."

"Oh...drama, huh? Is he any good?"

"Not sure...oh here we are! Um, hello?"

**--------------------------------------------------------------------**

After getting my schedule, Casey lead me out of the office and looked over it while taking out her own schedule.

"Oh! This is awesome. We have the same art class together! Oh, and English Literature and Chemistry, too...!"

"Oh, then that means he's in _my _classes, too, doesn't it, Case?"

Now, guess from who that other sentence belonged to. Guess! Just...guess... That's right: Derek.

"Derek."

"Drake."

Casey looked around from me to Derek, I can tell. Derek and I just looked each other over. It looked like he wasn't wearing his precious leather jacket today. Then, all of a sudden, a blonde guy came up to us wearing a toque. A blue one.

"Hey D. What's up, man."

Ok..so, apparently, they have some sort of nicknames for each other...oh, how cute...! By the way, I was being sarcastic there...if you didn't catch that!

"Hey Sam."

"Uh, hi Casey..."

"Hi Sam. Have you met Drake yet?"

"Uh, nope. He new here?"

"Yeah. Drake, this is Sam. Sam, Drake."

Ok..so, Derek's friend's name is Sam...what should I do now...?

Shake his hand?

High five it?

Nod?

"Hey. Drake Parker. I'm kinda new here."

"Oh. Hey Drake. That's an interesting name. So, you a junior here, too?"

"Yeah, pretty much."

"Well...I'm pretty sure since you already know Derek that he pretty much told you most of what's gonna happen at this school, right?"

"What do ya mean?"

"Well, after spending a dinner with Derek, hah, he told me, by the way, uh, well...I bet you pretty much understand that Derek almost rules the school, right?"

"Uh...yeah, I think I got that point proven to me last night..."

After that, I forced myself a chuckle while Sam stood there smiling at me and Derek, who was right behind me and...apparently, the same height as me...

"Heh, that must've been an interesting dinner! Hah, anyways, need any help getting to any of your classes?

"Um, no. Actually I'm showing him around, Sam."

We both turned and behind us was Casey. Derek was watching from behind me, and from the corner of his eye, he was smirking, (as it seemed), at this blonde girl a few yards away, who, in my opinion, either has something stuck in her eye, or just has some sort of blinking problem...that, and...having the ability to smile wider than any human being _should _be able to do...

"Oh, alright, I see you're in good hands, Drake. Nice meeting you!"

"Yeah..nice meeting you, too...I guess."

"Ok, well, see ya later, D."

That was from Sam while he was walking away and while he was saying his goodbye, he was looking at me...like it was directed at me...

"Alright, see ya Sam!"

That was from Derek...to Sam, I guess...he finally stopped his gaze to look over to his best friend and say bye..oh, how touching.

"Uh..actually Derek, I was talking to Drake...but, see you later, too, Derek."

Oh! Burn! Hah! I cannot believe it. Less than 5 minutes with Derek's best friend and I've already earned myself a nickname that used to be Derek's. Ha!

I waved, Derek glared, Casey forced back a giggle (didn't work very well, she ended up bursting with laughter...), and...Sam walked away.

So, where was I?

Right! Walking around with Derek and Casey while they showed me my locker...which I was supposed to be sharing with a.. 'Tori Matthews.' That name sounds really familiar, but, hey, c'mon! What are the chances of my ex-'girlfriend' being in the same high school, same country, and same locker with me?

"Well, here you go, Drake! Your locker. Now, here's your combination. Go for it."

"22...3...34...aha. Got it. Thanks, Casey."

"No problem, Drake. Since you're sharing this locker, it might be best if you meet the person you're sharing with soon."

"Just so you know what the person is like, right?"

"Yeah, pretty much...like, when I had to share my locker with Emily—"

"_Casey, Casey, Casey..._no stories. No need to kill the guy from boredom from listening to you at school. I can do that later..."

First off..she wasn't boring me, and second, that last part of his sentence seemed mumbled, like he didn't want me to know or something. Well, mission failed, Derek.

Ok, why _is_ he here? I mean, I'm just fine with _Casey _leading me towards all my classes! Why him! He's just so...ugh!

Sarcastic?

Evil?

Freaky?

Or...my choice: all of the above?

Uh, anyways, I'm sure you're _all _wondering: 'What _does _Drake's schedule look like?'

Well, here:

**Name: Parker, Drake Michael**

**Grade: 11**

---------------------------------

**GEOMETRY II **

Mr. Brawley **- RM. 314**

**CHEMISTRY **

Ms. Henderson **- RM. 124 **

**WORLD HISTORY **

Mrs. Jacobs **- RM. 333 **

**ART **

Ms. Owen **- RM. 231**

**GYM **

Ms. Peterson **- RM. 225**

**MUSIC THEORY **

Mr. Topple **- RM. 113**

**ENGLISH LITERATURE **

Mrs. Sawyer **- RM. 121**

**-----------------------------------------**

Yeah, well, that's pretty much all there is to it. Anyways, as Casey, Derek, and I were walking towards my Geometry II room, many guys were smirking at Derek and clapping his hand as he passed by them. Some of which he gave "Hey"'s and "'Sup"'s to. They all seemed to stop whatever it was that they were all doing to just either stare at him or acknowledge his existence by saying "Hey" or "'Sup, Derek!". Girls seemed to stare at him, too. Though, what intrigued (Yes I know what that means!) me the most was how if there was anyone in our path, they'd immediately move over to the side, as if making a way for us or something. I gotta admit...it was cool. Though, notice that I did not say that _Derek _himself is cool...just his _power._

**Just the power...**

Ahem...anyways!

While we were nearing my Geometry II room, I caught a few girls staring at me and having that same 'blinking' and 'smiling' problems just like that girl Derek was staring at earlier. And, might I say, those girls who were staring at me...they were hot!

As soon as we stopped in front of Rm. 314, Casey broke the silence by saying:

"Ok, Drake, here is your first period class. Now...uh, Mr. Brawley really isn't the best guy in the world to tick off, so...just, don't do what Derek does when he has him for 6th period."

With that, I nodded while Derek merely glared at Casey, plainly 'telling' her to shut up.

"Oh, shut up, Casey, and just lead him to the classes before I die of boredom here!"

With that, a glare from both me and Casey, we went off to my other classes...

Again, though, I caught many girls...(cute ones..of course..)..staring at me, and some giggling at the sight of me. Now, I could easily say that they might've been giggling at _Derek, _but...they were staring at **me**, so...I can easily say that...**those girls were looking at _me_, not _Derek_**.

Hah, ironic, no?

My first day, and I've already girls staring at me from the front...and, uh, from the back. That part's a little creepy, but...I can deal!

Now, see, if I didn't have Casey right next to me glaring at all the girls who even _dared _look at me (yet, they dared and looked at me anyway...), I would've, in a split-second, ran up to one of them and after they sigh dreamily at the sight of me: ask them out. But, since I _did _have Casey right next to me, I tried making myself look busy by looking either at her..or how every person in front of us moved at the sight of Derek. (Though, mostly, I was looking at Casey.)

Anyways, after that, um, well, I could say 'awkward tour,' but, then, I'd be lying since it wasn't awkward at all...by merely walking next to Derek, I found out two things. Wanna know what they are?

Well, here's one:

Most girls take the time to look at Derek, Derek's body, or...(this part disturbs me a bit)..his butt. Whatever it was that they were doing, they stopped, giggled, and looked.

And, here's the other:

Most _guys _take the time to stop, yell a 'Hey Derek' to, uh, Derek, high five his held-up hand, and some other _guys _mumble (or, in some guys' cases, 'fake cough') a 'Grubby' or 'Klutzilla' to...guess. C'mon. Well, you got that right: Casey.

Now, those so-called observations are actually called: 'high school.' Some are popular, like, (I'll only say this _once!_) **Derek**, and, some...not-so-popular, like...well, (as it seems): **Casey**. Now, there are also the normal people, the cool people..and, well, lots more, but, I'd just like to say that I, **Drake Parker**, am neither popular, nor not-so-popular, but...just normal and cool. Just like my old school. Hey, that rhymed! Uh, never mind.

Anyways, after showing me the cafeteria (which is...really small, actually), the first bell rang and Casey chose to speak to me again.

"Ok, Drake! Now that you know where your classes are, and the cafeteria, there's no use in getting a tardy! So...we should probably get off to class now, huh?"

"Yeah, thanks again, Casey..."

"Hey, what about me?"

Derek. Leave it to him to interrupt me just as I was about to hug Casey..you know, like a 'Thank-you' hug...nothing too much, just in case she was one of those girls who liked going slow on relationships. Even though we didn't have one yet, I'm pretty sure we _will_.

"Yeah..uh, you too, Derek...?"

"Yeah, yeah, now, go off to class!"

Guess what?

I didn't get to hug Casey, nor thank her any further since Derek practically pushed me off and into the direction of my Geometry II classroom. Ugh. Jealous, much?

Wait.

That's it!

Oh. My. God.

I don't know why I didn't figure it out sooner! Derek was jealous that I might take Casey away from him...hah! Oh, crap.

A long and annoying beep can be heard throughout the hallway that I was standing in. And, uh, just to mention, I might've looked like some idiot standing in an empty hallway as I was just realizing that I was late for my first class of my first year as a junior at this new school.

Again: oh, crap.

After hearing the bell and saying 'Oh, crap' out loud, I ran all the way to my 1st period class.

"Emily Davis?"

"He—"

"—So sorry I'm late! Uh, missed the bell...?"

I did a quick scan of the room and discovered Emily was in the same class I was. After the quick scan, I turned to...wait, what was his name again? Mr. Broccoli? Brownie? Braw–

"Ah, Mr. Parker, glad you can join us. I'm Mr. Brawley."

Ah! That was it! Brawley!

As of right now, I'm grinning really stupidly..just thought you should know. Wait...did I just insult myself?

Eh, whatever...anyways, after saying a quick 'hi' to Mr. Brownie, I did another scan of the room.

Nope. No one that I know. Except Emily, of course, but, all the seats around her were taken. The only seat that was taken was one in the front. Of course. No one wanted to sit in the front. Well, who would, anyway? Great...the front _middle_ seat. The 'teacher's pet' seat.

Now, if the saying were true: "First impressions are the most important," then, heck, I didn't make a very good one.

After a very, _very _boring first class, the rest of the day went well...

Did you believe me for a second? God, I hope not since if you did, then, you don't know me very well...!

Actually, after first period, I had Chemistry with Casey and (unfortunately..) Derek. I took a seat behind Casey and every so often, she would look over her shoulder at me, and...well, about the 5th time she did that, she caught me staring back...we had some kinda 'moment' there...ahh...

"Mr. Parker, Ms. MacDonald. Would you please give your attention to the front, please. You can continue your flirting later..."

Ok. _That _was embarrassing. Actually, she kinda mumbled that last part, but, of course, this being no one really listens to the teacher until someone gets in trouble, everyone was listening, and _everyone _heard it. And, of course..._everyone _snickered as Ms. Hen— what _are_ these teachers' names! I just can't seem to get it! Argh!

Anyways, after that nice-turned-to-embarrassing-moment that Casey and I shared, the rest of the period went without any more moments. Luckily and...sadly.

The next period, I had with _Derek_ and _Derek _only. Yay. Lucky me.

Derek, unexpectedly sat behind me that period and kept on poking me with the end of his _mechanical _pencil (the **sharp **side...) the entire time Mrs. Jacobs (now, _her _name I can remember! Its easy! Thank God!) was turning her back to write on the whiteboard. He even once pushed it too far and caused me to...uh, well, yell at no one in particular.

"Ah! Crap! That hurt!"

Many people (mostly some of the girls) gasped and most of the guys (including Derek) snickered and the teacher...glared at me.

Then after that, I had art with Casey. Now, I didn't like the first two classes (seeing as how Derek was in both of them and I got in trouble in both of them...), but, I had a feeling that I was gonna like Art. Mostly because I had it with Casey.

We didn't really do much, just listened to the teacher talk about the different colors of the wheel and stuff. Casey and I were sitting together, so, I felt at peace.

The peace soon left me when the shrilly (it really is..) bell rang signaling the next class to begin in 5 minutes. Ugh.

"So, Drake, have you met your locker 'buddy' yet?"

"Nope, I have a feeling she's ignoring me or something. Dunno."

"Ok, well, I'll see you later. I got Geometry II with Mr. Brawley."

"Wait, don't you mean, Mr. Brownie?"

"Brownie?"

Ok. I hadn't meant to say 'Brownie,' but, I'm glad I got a laugh outta her! Shrugging, we both went off our separate ways. Me going to Gym with_ Derek, _and her going to Geometry with Mr. Brownie. Uh, I mean, Brawley. Yeah...

Derek wasn't really doing much to welcome me to this school very well, seeing as he slammed into me at least three times during Gym. What _is _his problem? If he wants Casey, he's gonna have to wait.

Lunch really wasn't much. Just the usual glop that all schools seemed to be serving, either at the US or Canada, the slop (I guess...) was universal. Gross.

Anyways, I was mainly sitting by Casey...and Josh...and Emily..and, Sam. And, Derek joined us soon after..much to my dismay.

The next period, I didn't have with either Derek, Casey, Emily, or Josh. I'm happy about the 'no Derek' thing, but...not so much the 'no Casey' part. Or Josh. Or Emily.

Music Theory seems really easy and cool. I mean, Mr. Topple seems like a really cool guy.

Wait.

Did I just say that about a teacher? No way.

Well, he is kinda cool, seeing as he seems to only be in his 30's or so. Dunno, but, he's better than Mr. Brawley! (Yeah! I got his name right!)

Anyways, the last period, 7th, I had with Josh, Casey, _and _Derek...sadly. Anyways, as Mrs. Sawyer (Yet another easy name to remember!) was talking, Josh kept on taking solid (most likely) notes, as was Casey, and Derek was tipping his chair back, and pretending to be listening to the teacher.

I could tell. I mastered that technique. I _invented _that technique. Hah. It seems he has, too. But, he forgot one thing. **I **am the master at that.

Seeing as I was sitting across from Derek in this confined space of dullness, and I was about a little more than a foot away from him, I quickly took put my arm out and tapped (well, maybe harder..) the corner of Derek's chair and led it to the floor all with my index finger, bringing Derek (and his chair) down, down, _down _to the hard floor underneath us.

It was creepy how he didn't stop me since he could've easily seen me from the corner of his eye or something. Hm. I wonder...

"...you can see, this is the format on how—"

**_THUD._ **

"What in the world in going on here!"

"Ughh..."

Those were Derek's first words as he succeeded on pulling himself up after everyone was done snickering at what happened. He shot us all a glare and almost everyone shut up, including Josh who was eyeing me suspiciously after shutting up.

Casey and I, on the other hand, were smiling at each other and she held a questioning look as if saying, 'Did _you _do that?' I simply smiled wider and turned to Mrs. Sawyer who was frowning at Derek.

"Mr. Venturi. Ah, I should've known. What time would you like to go to the principal's office?"

"Uh, no, wait, Mrs. Sawyer. It wasn't me! Seriously. Do you think I would do this to humiliate myself and cause pain?"

"Yes."

With that answer from a _teacher,_ everyone simply snickered yet again. And, as before, we were shut up by Derek's look.

"Well, no. I was listening to your assigning the homework for tonight, which, I might add, is due on Friday, and all of a sudden, Drake here, our new student- " He pointed to me, "-caused my fall."

Casey's eyes widened and Derek smirked at me yet again. I should've known.

"Well, Mr...ah, Mr. Parker. Well, Mr. Parker, seeing as it is your first day, I'll let you off with a warning, but, you do that again, and it is detention, are we clear?"

"Yes, ma'am."

"Good. Now, who here knows what the homework is for the next two days?"

Casey raised her hand and answered...

"Oh, we're supposed to type up what we had done this past summer...? And, it's due on Friday. And..its supposed to be typed."

Mrs. Sawyers smiled and nodded at Casey and looked at all of us while saying:

"Well, you heard the lady. Typed. Summer activities. Friday."

As soon as she finished, the shrilly bell rang once again and everyone was off.

"Drake! Wait up, man."

"Oh, hey Josh."

"Hey, what'd you do to Derek? Wait, no, _why _did you do that to Derek?"

"Well, he was bugging me..and, I mean, all day he was. I just decided to do something— "

I never got to finish my sentence since Josh was already off and talking to Emily. Ah, to be young and in love. Cute. Hey, at least the next girl Josh likes doesn't try to get me suspended and isn't crazy!

Or...is she?

I never got to figure it out seeing as Casey was right next to me, talking excitedly about what I did to Derek.

Where's Derek, you say? Oh, he was right behind us.

"I cannot believe you did that! Hah, I'm glad there's at least _one _person who doesn't worship at Derek's feet!"

"Hah, it'll take more than poking me with his pencil to do _that.._!"

After we were talking and after we gathered our stuff from our lockers and everything, Casey led us all to Derek's car for another happy ride home. Yay.

So, once again, here we were, sitting inside Derek's car (I was in the front again..ugh..) and on the way home. Josh and Emily were talking, but, I didn't really listen all that much, just focusing on the song playing on the radio.

Once we got to Derek's driveway (he refused to drop us off, saying that we all needed exercise anyway...), Casey offered to walk back home with me and Josh and Emily.

"So, Drake, any ideas for the assignment for Mrs. Sawyer?"

"Uh, actually, I have a little problem with that..."

"What?"

"Well, I have an idea for a topic, but, my computer is temporarily...well, dead."

Seeing the worried look on her face, I continued..:

"No, not like, I smashed it or anything, but, the monitor..yeah, it, uh, kinda broke this morning."

"Oh. Well, I have a laptop, you can use that! We can work on it together!"

"Yeah...that'd be cool. Thanks."

"No problem, but, doesn't Josh have a computer?"

"Well, yeah, but...he's always on it.."

"Oh, well, then, the offer for my laptop still stands if you want it!"

"Yeah, sure!"

"Ok, then, come by, uh, say, at around 5-ish? And, we can work on it in my house!"

"Yeah, that would completely work. Thanks again."

"No prob."

Awesome! Ok, now, the whole 'Josh is always on his computer' thing was a lie...he really isn't all that protective of it..only I was protective of mine. But, hey, so sue me for wanting to work with Casey instead...! Seriously though, what would _you _pick?

Casey, right?

Right.

**--------------------------------------------------------------**

So, here we are...4:45 PM and getting ready to go over to Casey's house for...as I liked to call it: a study date. Well, technically, we weren't studying, but, hey...I can call it whatever I wanted, right?

"I'm going out! Be back at around 7!"

"Ok! Be home before dinner! Mom's making pot roast!"

Well, I guess Josh was the only one home besides Megan, who, I'm guessing didn't care whether or not I went out or were being packaged to Peru in a box.

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**A/N:**

Hey guys! I am sooooooooooo sorry about the late update...! Apparently, the sodas didn't work on keeping me awake (a shock to me, really...) and I ended up sleeping instead of typing.. I really didn't mean for it to take this long, but...there were just so many things going on...most of them being the fact that school's starting in the next 2 weeks...! (I shudder at the thought...!)

LOL, anyways, sorry if this chapter was really long! And, to tell you the truth, I didn't really mean for it to end like that...it just kinda did. I didn't really want to go on since I figure...the chapter would be really long! This one beats the first four! LOL... In my opinion, this chapter seemed too long and...kinda dragging...Dunno, it just seems that way to me...Please review and tell me what _you _think about it, though!

Anyways...next chapter! Derek's POV...I'll squeeze in what he thought about Drake's first day...but, I think it'll be mostly on the happenings of Drake being in the same house as Derek...visiting Casey...getting jealous..dunno! Gotta type it first, but, I got the idea for it! LOL..

Also, thank you to '**smob1474**' (Sean-Scott) for informing me on...how high school goes. I hope I didn't make too many mistakes on how high school is supposed to go! Since I'm not in high school yet, I am clueless! Please tell me if there are any mistakes and I'll fix them..!

Sorry if some parts were rushed on this...I just didn't want it to become _too _long...

So...yah...about those ----------------- things...for some reason, there's some kinda error on the page that refuses to let me use them...it sucks since those really...uh, aren't 'good-looking' or whatever... Point is: The rulers were better!

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Here goes:

**DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN LIFE WITH DEREK or DRAKE & JOSH. **

**------------------------------------------------------------**

**Again...please let me know what you think of this chapter. In other words: PLEASE REVIEW! I'd like to know whether or not to keep the chapters long like this one or...kinda shorter and, well, ya know! Stuff like that...please? **

**THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR THOSE WHO REVIEWED THE PAST CHAPTERS! **

**It really means a lot to me! **

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**PLEASE REVIEW!**

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	6. Note & Poll

Hey Guys!

I'm sorry if you were expecting a chapter, but, this one is just an author's note. Please don't, like, report me or anything!

This is kinda important if you guys want to see chapter 6 up soon.

Here it is:

Well, some people have been asking who I was going to **pair Casey up with**. Well, that is up to you guys.

You can either pick:

**A)_ DRAKE PARKER_**

or...

**B) _DEREK VENTURI_**

So...the sooner you guys get me your opinions, the sooner I can get chapter 6 written up and done and posted. Also...please only pick one...!

**Please either uh, well, you can review or private message me, it really doesn't matter as long as you guys can get me your pick as soon as possible, please!**

By the way, if you're asking: 'Why couldn't she do this author's note at the beginning of Chapter 6?' or whatever, the answer is:

"I can't. I'd like to know which you guys would pick so I can plan ahead for the story instead of surprising myself if Casey ends up with the one you guys don't want."

So, please give me your answer and the chapter will be out soon!

**Thank you!**

By the way: Thanks to '**xoxitsmonikaxox**' for the idea for this! Thanks!


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